Rain was in the forecast today and when I woke up and felt how humid it was, I knew I'd better get moving if I wanted to make my yard sale rounds before I got dumped on! I had three advertised sales to check out today. The first was right around the corner from me, and it proved to be a gem - a well organized sale with a great selection of books and household items, all at rock-bottom prices. In other words, my favourite kind of yard sale.I walked away from that sale loaded down with three bags of goodies:
-a dozen children's books in like new condition
-4 small decorative glass dishes (the kind with lovely intricate patterns)
-a Pyrex Bundt pan (*so* excited to find this - I'd never seen one before!)
-Pyrex casserole dish
-stainless steel shaker (the kind you'd use for Parmesan; it's going in my kitchen for my homemade scouring powder)
-a set of nesting Christmas tins
I paid $5.00 even for the lot.
Just down the street there was an unadvertised sale, so I stopped in there and found a beautiful board book for ten cents.
I dropped all my purchases off at home, then grabbed my bike and headed out to check the other two sales on my list. The first was a rummage sale held by a local non-profit. I found seven novels there, all in like-new condition (two hardcover, the rest trade paperback). They were all literary novels, interesting sounding ones that I'd not heard of before. I have a lot of serious readers in my life, so I always stock up on interesting books that would make a solid addition to a gift basket (especially when they're 25 cents each!) Speaking of baskets, I picked one up for another 50 cents.
At the final sale of the morning I bought two more books for a quarter each; a hardcover house-and-garden tips book that would make a great housewarming present, and a kid's activity book by the Royal Ontario Museum, both destined for my gift cupboard stash.
Once I got home I decided to run back over to the first sale, as I'd seen some Pyrex pie plates there and realized I should have scooped them up, so I could bring pies over as housewarming gifts and not worry about having to get the plate back (yes, I know I could use a foil one, but it's so much more charming to use a proper one and have it be part of the gift). Unfortunately, there was only one left of the several they'd had earlier in the morning. I got that one, plus three more glass dishes, for another 70 cents.
Grand total for the morning: 8.45 for 35 items, or 24 cents per item.
I should probably mention that I'm not planning to keep most of the things I bought this morning (I am really NOT a packrat!) The Pyrex Bundt pan and casserole, the stainless steel shaker, and (possibly) the basket are for our home. Everything else will go in my gift cupboard stash. I'm planning to use the decorative glass dishes for hostess gifts (filled with yummy homemade treats). They'll definitely add that "something extra" to my gift giving! All the books are going in the gift cupboard, too. I like to have a variety on hand, so I always have a little something to suit almost any child or adult I might suddenly need a gift for. I like to bring a small gift for siblings when a new baby is born (along with something for mother and babe, of course) and books are perfect for this. It's also nice to have something on hand to bring a friend or relative who's sick or "down in the dumps", so having an assortment of things to choose from in my gift cupboard allows me to put together a nice cheery "pick me up" gift on the spur of the moment, without busting my budget (or even having to leave the house, lol!) I love being able to bless others with a surprise gift without straining my finances.
Anyone else uncover a great find this week? Let me know in the comments!
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